The Protection of a Friend
by AHaddock3
Summary: When a mysterious and bizzare woman shows up on the Edge, saying she has lived there for years and is there to train the Riders, nobody trusts her. Nobody. Because there's a lot she's not telling them. And they can tell. But a lot changes when she saves Hiccup's life...and they realize they do need her. RTTE time period. All seasons included.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Hi, everyone! Please enjoy!**

 **THE PROTECTION OF A FRIEND**

I watched the Vikings land on their dragons. I saw one of them glance toward my hiding place and for a fraction of a second I looked into his eyes. Green eyes. With that one look I knew everything he had known, did know, or would know. I almost gasped... _so much pain_...how would he ever bear it?

I shook my head. _No._ I told myself. _No more additions to this curse._ But as I watched them, bickering, oblivious, young, honest, how could I not help them? How could I not save them from their own ignorance? How could I not train them in the way they needed?

 _They need me. All of them._

I tilted my head towards them and caught a short, stocky, grumpy one... _Snotlout? Isn't that his name?_...say to the blond athletic one... _Astrid. Her the green-eyed one knows quite well..._ "I don't know about you, but I like whiny Berk Hiccup a lot better than princess Outpost Hiccup." Astrid responded with, "I know, right?" Before turning and giving Hiccup a thumbs-up, so Snotlout wouldn't see her.

I almost laughed. Almost.

The black dragon, Toothless I think, turned and stared at me. I knew he couldn't see me, but I did know he could smell me.

Darn dragons' sense of smell.

He turned away, and I breathed easy again. I stayed on the rock for a long time, watching them all slowly fall asleep. When they all were off in dreamland, I descended and went of to find my friends. The Night Terror pack. I whispered them awake. Told them that there were intruders. I told them to scare the blond male.

As I went back to my rock, I noticed a chicken had somehow got onto the island and was roaming about the woods. But I thought nothing of it.

I settled back to watch the Vikings sleep.

 _Let your training begin, Dragon Riders. Let it begin, let it begin, let it begin..._


	2. Chapter 2

A/N **Hi, I'm back. Chapter two, coming right at you!**

Chapter Two

I was jerked out of sleep by Tuffnut screaming. Everyone else was too, apparently. I panicked and clung to the rock. _I didn't mean to fall asleep!_

Tuffnut burst out of the woods, still screaming, and I watched the others gather around him. I could only hear bits of their conversation. "I haven't seen him this freaked out since he found a leech on his-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there."

"You were dreaming, Tuff."

Thats when my hearing went...AGAIN. _Stupid curse._

I watched them finish their argument and head off into the woods. I slid off the rock and followed. I only knew my hearing was back when I heard the squawk of a chicken.

"I can't even look at you right now." Tuffnut's voice. I smiled. My work for the night was done. I ran back to my home...not even a house really, unless sung trees counted. As I stared up at the stars, I ran my mind through all the reasons I should NOT, definitely NOT, go anywhere near the Riders. I could hurt them more than even the future I saw in Hiccup's eyes.

But it wouldn't be my fault. It would be the curse's fault. No it WOULD be mine. Agh! This curse was going to drive me insane one day. The Curse Of Calypso...why me? Why, out of all people, did the sorceress pick ME to curse?!

It could have been anyone, anyone at all, but she chose me to punish for our Chief's wrongdoings.

But that was long ago. Too long. My entire Tribe died out hundreds of years ago. And the sorceress...never seen again.

I suppressed a sob. My mother, father, brothers...and him. Why they'd ever chosen to name their son Winter was beyond me, but I'd loved him, I'd loved him with my very soul, and the curse had separated us over centuries.

"Terra," he used to say to me, "So we have strange names. I think that actually makes us better suited for each other."

And I'd always agreed. Winter and Terra...definitely not Viking names.

Over the centuries I'd only chosen three people to train, to help, and the curse took them all. Hiccup is my only conscious choice. But I'll do everything I can to stop the curse from taking him. If I don't help him, he will know more pain than anyone should ever have to, so much pain that he WILL kill himself long before his Destiny takes hold. And without his Destiny...the world is lost. Forever.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Thank you so much for those follows and favorites! chapter 3!**

Chapter 3

I woke with a start. I could have sworn I could hear a voice calling my name... _just a dream_.

Or was it?

 _Terra._

what was going on?

 _Terra. I know what you are._

I began to hyperventilate. I pushed against the tree trunk. _Not him...not the MindSpeaker..._

 _What do you want with my human?_

I relaxed. _Just Toothless._ I knew what he could do. I had seen it in Hiccup's mind. Not that Hiccup knew it yet. He was one of the especially rare dragons: DragonBrothers. When a dragon bonds with a human to the point that the dragon can hear and understand human thoughts, especially that of their human Brother or Sister. Hiccup apparently hadn't caught on yet. I responded: _I am a friend. I want to train your human. I know what he faces. I am here to protect him._

The dragon was silent. Processing.

 _If you hurt him, I will rip you to shreds and feast on your bones._ He was trying to intimidate me...and miserably failing.

I laughed. _Night Furies don't eat humans. Besides, I know you. You wouldn't do that if it was your last chance at survival._

Toothless was silent, and this time he was surprised. _You're right. I wouldn't._

 _I am on my way, dragon._

 _Understood, human._

I shut of contact and dropped from the tree. Over the years, I'd figured what falls I could take and not even bruise. apparently a 20 foot drop was one of them. I gathered my energy and took on my favorite Guise, that of a shipwrecked girl with a worn but sturdy dress, bare feet, brown wind-blown hair, and bright blue eyes. I'd collected it when I'd met a Witch's apprentice.

I wandered off towards the Viking's camp, and faintly heard Hiccup yell "For the love of Thor, _take us with you!"_

I laughed. He'd be gone for quite a while. No use going to the camp when the person I'd sworn to protect wasn't present.

I climbed my rock and watched Astrid, Snotlout and Fishlegs fight. It was very amusing. I nearly gave myself away by laughing several times. Suddenly, watching them chase each other, a Time Slip took hold and I was transported to a day long ago...

 _"C'mon." The boy's fair hair blew in the sea wind. He held a box in his hand. "You know you want it."_

 _"Give it back!" The girl watched him with scared eyes._

 _"But it's mine now." He grinned. "You don't get it."_

 _"It's mine! Winter gave it to me! You have no right-"_

 _"No right?! I have every right. You are my sister. That makes me better than you. You're just a girl." He sneered at her._

 _"Please." the girl was in tears. "Please."_

 _"No."_

 _He threw it off the cliff._

I suddenly woke. I ran, heedless. _I have to get out of here._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Hello, lovely readers! So, I finally figured out a system for updates! Yay! I made a note of it in the first chapter of my new story, "Choices, choices", but the point is that you can now look forward to regular updates.**

Chapter Four

I dropped out of my tree and walked down to the pond. I scooped up a handful of water and said " _Ungen."_ The water solidified, forming a reflective surface. I gazed at myself and tried to summon a Guise. Any Guise. It didn't work . Every time I slipped into a memory of the past, my Guises wouldn't work for a week.

I sighed, released the water and turned to leave.

"Hey!"

I stifled a curse.

"Who are you?"

I turned around to see Snotlout glaring at me, a look that quickly vanished once he realized I was, in fact, a girl.

"I am Terra," I told him.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Is this your island?"

I laughed. "No, it most certainly is not," I said with a grin. "I do live here, though. I've been watching your group. You're all quite amusing."

"Oh." He seemed to be deliberating. "Why didn't we see your ship, then?" He asked.

"I don't have a ship. I was wrecked here years ago."

"And no one came to look for you?" He sounded surprised.

"There was no one to do so. My tribe is all dead. They were all killed in the dragon war."

"So you don't like dragons?" The poor boy sounded worried now.

"Oh, no, I like dragons." I assured him. "In fact, I'm quite glad that the war is over."

Snotlout frowned. "How did you know that?"

I laughed. "Because you ride dragons." There was a short pause, in which Snotlout filled up the buckets he had with water.

"Well, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" I asked.

"Sure. Um. Sorry, what did you say your name was again?"

"Terra."

"I'm Snotlout."

"Pleasure to meet you." I wasn't lying. It was a pleasure to meet him now, as opposed to when he joined the wrong side.

* * *

"Hey, guys, look what I found!"

Snotlout pushed through the bushes into the camp, where the other dragon riders were sitting by the fire. He put down the water bucket and dropped onto a log as I pushed through the bushes after him. All eyes turned to me.

"Hello," I said. "Welcome to the island. I'm Terra."

Hiccup stood up. "Hi, Terra. I'm Hiccup." The others introduced themselves as well, and Astrid asked me if the island was mine.

"No," I said again. "It's not mine. Though I'm sure I saw a claim stone somewhere up there..." I waved my hand towards the top of the island.

"Hiccup, can we go find it?" Ruffnut asked excitedly.

"No, not right now." Hiccup gave me a funny look. "So, it's just you? I mean, on the island?"

How cute. He really needed some lessons in subtlety.

"No. You guys are here. Some dragons live here." Hiccup looked a bit frustrated. I continued.

"Speaking of dragons, aren't you going to introduce me to yours?" I pointed to the pile of sleeping dragons.

"Eehh, um, that's not the best idea." Fishlegs interrupted.

"Yeah. Even we know not to wake up a peacefully sleeping dragon." Tuffnut told me.

I smirked. "Maybe you don't need to wake them up."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Astrid asked me suspiciously. I walked over to Toothless, turned around, and said simply, "It means I will."

Before anyone else could do anything, I turned back to the dragons, said very loudly, "It's time to wake up! Toothless! Stormfly! Hookfang! Barf! Belch! Meatlug!" Then, while everyone gaped at me and the dragons jerked awake, I whispered, " _caem._ "

The dragons blinked. Snorted. Then they all sat down politely and looked at their humans expectantly. I turned around and said smugly, "I think they want breakfast."

* * *

"You know, Hookfang would have roasted me if I tried that," Snotlout prattled on. "And it's a miracle Stormfly didn't shoot her spikes, right?"

"Sure," I said. "A miracle."

Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut and I were sitting around the fire. Hiccup, Astrid, and Fishlegs were inspecting their respective dragons' saddles for wear. Snotlout pushed Hookfang's nose away impatiently and continued.

"How did you do that? I mean, dragons must love you. Do you wear some kind of dragon-nip scented perfume or something?"

I snorted at the thought of dragon-nip scented perfume.

"Or something."

"Really?" Astrid asked me suddenly. Huh. I hadn't noticed her coming up behind me.

"And what's that?" She continued.

I smiled and said softly, "magic." I had thought they'd take it well. They didn't.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut yelled "Witch!" together and fell backwards off the log they were sitting on. Snotlout jumped up and backed away. Astrid drew her axe.

"What's going on?" Hiccup ran up, followed by Fishlegs.

"She's a witch," Astrid bit out, not taking her eyes off me for a second.

I rolled my eyes. " Relax, Astrid. I mean you no harm. Besides, I'm not a witch."

"Oh, so you're trick with the dragons wasn't magic?"

"It was, actually."

"So you're a witch!" Ruffnut said.

"No, I'm not a witch. A witch cursed me."

"Okay, hold on." Hiccup put up his hands. "Astrid, put the axe down. Terra, what do you mean, a witch cursed you? Guys, how about we hear her out before we attack her?"

I nodded. "Good call, Hiccup. If I was a witch, I could have quite easily taken offense. Witches are weird that way."

Astrid put her axe away, though quite reluctantly. Ruffnut and Tuffnut came back to sit on their log. Snotlout joined them. Hiccup, Astrid, and Fishlegs took another log. I was alone on a log.

"So." Hiccup said. "Explain."

"Alright." I started. "A few thousand years ago, there was a tribe of Vikings in your archipelago called the Wanderers."

"What does this have to do with you?" Astrid demanded. I fixed her with a steady stare and said, "Because I was a part of it."

That shut her up. Everyone else's eyes widened.

"My village was very adamant that we should end the war with the dragons by killing them all. One woman was highly against it. She wanted us to join the side of a boy who was quickly gathering followers, he was the son of the chief of the Hooligan tribe."

"But that's our tribe!" Ruffnut realized.

"Yes, Ruffnut, it is. This boy wanted to end the war by negotiating with the dragons. He had made best friends with a Sea Dragon named Odinsfang. This boy's name was Hiccup."

They all gasped. Hiccup was speechless.

"You are the third to carry that name, you know," I told him.

"Really?"

"Yes. Didn't you know?"

"No."

"Well. Anyway, this woman wanted to join his side. But our chief didn't want to. The rest of our tribe didn't want to. They believed that dragons were evil, soulless beasts. And so...this woman..she..she revealed herself as a witch. She cursed the tribe to die at the claws of the dragons. She spared one. The chief's daughter was cursed in a different manner."

"You?" Hiccup was still shocked, and this revelation had shocked him all the more.

"Yes. Me. At first, the curse seemed like a gift. I had extensive magical abilities. I lived for years and years and never got older. My mind stayed young. My body stayed young. But...it is a curse, after all. I cannot do any magic without a price."

"What kind of price?" Fishlegs asked interestedly.

"A bad one. See, the more magic I do, the more likely it is that I will be pulled into what I call a Time Slip. I re-live terrible things in the past that I have seen. I re-live moments where my friends were ripped apart by dragons. Where my brother abused me. Where Hiccup confronted the dragon Merciless. Where the king Grimbeard executed the last of the honorable dragon riders from the time of Hiccup the First. Where the dragon army attacked the Viking city, and the city burned, and the streets ran red with blood, and the harbor was clogged with corpses, and the ground was sticky and choked with blood and smoke and fire. Where the chief of the Uglithugs locked me in a Berserker prison for a hundred years. And much more. And every Time Slip leaves me weakened. I can do...impressive physical feats. I can jump from great heights and land safely. I can run faster than a Night Fury can fly. Stuff like that. But after a Time Slip, I am just as weak as you."

"Hey!" Snotlout protested. "We're not weak!"

"Compared to me at full strength, you are."

"So..." Tuffnut seemed confused. "This actually is your island?"

"No, Tuffnut, it is not. I came here to escape the other part of my curse."

After a long pause, Astrid asked, "And..were you planning to tell us what it is?"

"I wasn't."

"Why not?"

"Partly because it's embarrassing, partly because it doesn't matter, and partly because it's none of your business."

There was a long, awkward silence.

"Fine." Astrid finally huffed. "Well, what do you want with us?"

"It's been about fifty years since anyone friendly came here, and about two hundred years before that since I saw any humans at all. Have you thought that I might just be lonely? You guys seem good enough. You ride dragons, dragons you are obviously friends with. You are a close group, I can tell. You trust each other. You're friends. I haven't had a friend for three hundred years."

My voice turned wistful.

"I just wanna be one of you guys."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Hiccup frown with a slightly confused air.

"Hiccup?" They were all looking at him.

"Well... Um. You want to be a dragon rider?"

"Well, that would be nice. But not exactly. I want to help you. There are Dragon Hunters who frequent these parts. Their leader is a man named Viggo Grimborn. When he learns about you, which, let's face it, is inevitable, he will do everything in his power to destroy you. Everything. And this man is the smartest person I've ever met or heard of. He will try to outsmart you time and time again. Now, I'm not saying I'm smarter than he is. I'm just saying I know how to teach people to think strategically. How to bluff convincingly. How to lead your enemy off the path of thought you don't want him on. I want to train you. All of you."

They were silent, apparently waiting for Hiccup's decision. I had only told one lie in there. The lie was the Viggo was the smartest person I'd ever met or heard of. That would be Hiccup. He just didn't know how to use his intellect. He used it on dragons and inventions and races and whatnot. But I had seen his future knowledge. His future decisions. He so far surpassed Viggo that Viggo was like a dead fish compared to Hookfang.

"Well," Hiccup finally said. "I guess so. But if you're going to be one of us, you're going to have to do your part."

I grinned. "Of course! I can work just as hard as any of you. I won't let you down, I promise."

* * *

I sat on a bench in the Club House, a week after Hiccup had let me join the dragon riders. The others were off doing who knew what, except for Hiccup, who was talking to me about an idea for the Dragonfly while giving Toothless an ear rub.

I found myself staring at him, again and again. Each time, I'd rip my gaze away and pray he hadn't noticed, and it seemed he hadn't, but then I'd find myself distracted by random things; his auburn hair, and how it turned bronze in the sunlight. His small, lithe hands. The spray of freckles over his face. The way his leather armor hugged the muscles of his chest in a totally not subtle way at all. His _eyes._ His eyes were beautiful. Tempting.

When that thought hit, I froze. _No._

"Terra, are you alright?"

Since when had his voice become so...so... _completely amazing_?

"Yeah. I'm fine. Um. I had a training session..."

"Oh. Okay."

The disappointment in his voice tugged at me. No matter. I fled.

* * *

I shut the door of my hut firmly and dropped to the ground.

No, no, no, this was not fair! THIS WAS NOT FAIR AT ALL!

Why?!

Why did it have to be him? Well, to be fair, he was utterly fabulous...

I hit my head with my hand.

"Stop it!" I told myself. I got up and began pacing.

He had a destiny. I could not interfere. Astrid was a part of that destiny. I was not. I was expendable. She was not. She would be his. For all I knew, she already was.

I sighed heavily. "Stupid curse."

I dropped to the ground again. Long ago, when I had protected Hiccup the First, the curse had decided that I was to fall in love with his brother. Then, destiny had dictated that I kill him. To kill the man I loved had broken me. It was an accident, but still. The curse wouldn't even let me follow him past the veil of death. Then, when I protected the boy Speedfast, the curse forced me to completely lose any feelings I might have had for Hiccup's brother and fall in love with the boy's cousin, who had died when Tomorrow was burned. And now I loved Hiccup? How was this fair? He would never be free to love me back. And I did love him. It was not simply infatuation. It was not simply attraction. I knew Hiccup's future. I knew Hiccup's past. I knew how he thought, how he just was. I loved him.

But I had loved Winter, too.

The thought brought on a Time Slip and I fell again into the past...

* * *

 **A/N Hello again! Hoped you liked it.**

 **Out of curiosity...would you like me to follow canon conversations? I don't know them by heart, but I can paraphrase pretty well..OR..I can watch RTTE again and figure it out.**

 **One parting word: PIRATES!**

 **(Just 'cause I don't have enough randomness in my life...)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Hey, guys.**

 **I just got lectures from both my best friend and my ex (we're all Christians) about reading Hiccstrid smut. I CAN READ IT IF I WANT TO, JERKS!**

 **Sorry, just had to get that out. My reviews for the last chapter somehow got erased from my email, so I can't respond to them, I 'm sorry.**

* * *

CHAPTER 5

 _ **Time Slip**_

 _The girl and the boy chased each other around the house. Laughter rang through the Viking winter as they ran._

 _"I'll get you for that!" The boy called out._

 _"Suuuure," the girl drawled, turning for a second and sticking her tongue out._

 _The boy finally caught her and pressed her against the wall. "That wasn't nice," he told her, ignoring her playful struggling._

 _"Please," the girl said. "It's your birthday. Everyone should have something explode when they come of age!"_

 _The boy leaned closer, trapping her and gazing into her eyes. "But I'd much rather have something else," he told her lowly, enjoying her shiver._

 _She smiled. "Of course, Winter." She reached up and pulled his mouth down to hers, trapping him against her in a heated kiss._

* * *

The Time Slip changed, and Terra, on the ground in her hut, moaned and twisted, eyes tightly shut, as she was forced to remember other things.

* * *

 _ **Time Slip**_

 _"No, please!" The girl begged. The Viking king ignored her and stabbed the child in front of him with a roar of rage. The girl cried out and ran to him, ignoring the battle and fire raging around her._

 _"Hiccup!" She held the nine-year old closely as he bled out, trying to stop the flow. She glared up at the king. "How could you?"_

 _"S'not...wrong...it's...battle..."_

 _"And you! Of course it's wrong Hiccup, you're his son. Even though I think I love you more than he ever could. You're like a brother."_

 _Hiccup's head fell back._

 _"No!" The girl cried. The king leaned down, trying to catch the boy's last words._

 _"Trying...to...make...peace.."_

 _The king's head snapped up, staring in disbelief at his now dead son. The girl wept and held the child's corpse tightly to her. First her lover, and now the boy who she loved like a brother? Why, why why?_

* * *

I was dragged out of the Time Slip by a ferocious banging on my door. I got up and stumbled over, pulling it open. Astrid stood there, her face filled with anger, panic and worry.

"Hiccup's been kidnapped!" She told me.

"What? When?" I stared at the sunset. "Gods, I was out for _that long_?"

"What do you mean, 'out'?"

"Time Slip. But that doesn't matter. What happened?" I asked urgently.

Astrid narrowed her eyes at me, then gestured out to sea. "He went flying with Toothless. We just got a ransom note written in his own hand. We have to do something."

A slow rage began to burn in my gut.

"Oh, we'll do something. We'll save him. The dragons can track him, I assume? Who took him?"

"Pirates."

I blinked in surprise. "Really? How are you sure?"

"Because the note was from some guy who called himself the greatest pirate to ever sail the sea."

"Well, that would certainly convince _me_." I muttered.

* * *

"Concentrate fire over the port side bow!" Astrid shouted. "That's where they're weakest!"

The dragon riders hastened to obey, pounding the boat with fire and flaming rocks, as they had been doing to the fleet for the fast fifteen minutes. We weren't sure which boat Hiccup and Toothless were being held on, so we were trying to intimidate the pirates to give him back.

The captain scowled at us from his flag ship, and finally, _finally_ called a parley.

Astrid and I landed on the deck with Stormfly, leaving the others above as air support. Astrid stepped forward, but I put a hand on her arm and mouthed, "Let me handle this." She looked suspicious, but stepped back and allowed me to speak to the captain.

"Hoy, girl. So yeh speak fer this scurvy band of dragon tamers, do yeh?" The captain growled out. He was a typical Viking, tall and heavily muscled with a thick neck and, I sincerely hoped, very little brains.

"I do for now. We want Hiccup back."

" 'iccup? That's the boy's name?"

"Yes."

"Wha's a runt like him doin' with a Night Fury, eh?"

I stepped a little closer and lowered my voice, hoping that the captain was the superstitious type.

"He was chosen by the gods to rule over the dragons. You've seen how far he's gotten. A Night Fury? He has powers you will never understand. And if you don't let him go, _right now,_ he will use them on you and you will be begging him for mercy."

The captain stared at me. "He was the one beggin' me fer mercy, though."

My blood ran cold. "What?"

The captain waved his hand in the air in dismissal. "He means nothin' ter me. I was gonna let him go anyway. I need me boats. Except fer this one. It's done. We'll be leavin' it now."

And with that, he called together his men, boarded one of the other ships, and the fleet began to sail away.

Astrid quickly called down the other riders and we began to search the ship.

I ran through the hold, looking for Hiccup. I couldn't stop thinking about what the captain had said. "He was the one beggin' me fer mercy."

What had they done to him?

"I found him!" Fishlegs's shout brought me to a halt. I turned and sprinted through the ship to where the shout had come from, cursing my slowness.

I pushed through the group to find Astrid kneeling over Hiccup's bound form. The deck was soaked with blood, and my breath caught. _He can't be..._

But he moaned, and I breathed easy again. But the blood...I went and knelt by Astrid. Blood was still seeping from his back, they had taken his shirt, and his skin was shredded, flesh ripped, I could even see the ridges of his spine and ribs, white in the dim light. He was soaked with seawater, and blood stained Astrid's hands and arms as she held him.

White-hot rage burned in my veins, and I spat out three words.

"They _keelhauled_ him."

Fishlegs went white, and Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut looked horrified. Astrid looked furious.

I stood up. "Get him on deck. Now."

Astrid eyed me with suspicion. "Why?"

"Listen to me, and listen well." I stepped closer and lowered my voice. "If you don't do _exactly_ as I say, Hiccup will _die._ "

Astrid shut her eyes for a second, and I could practically see her thought process flutter across her face before she answered. "Okay."

She stood, still holding him, and he screamed, clenching his eyes shut. We all winced at the sound.

"Hurry, hurry," I said, pushing open doors as we made our way through the hold. "We don't have much time before the sun is completely gone."

"Why is that-ow!-an issue?" Fishlegs asked, glancing down at his stubbed toe before deciding it didn't matter and redoubling his speed to catch up.

Hiccup groaned in agony and my fingers twitched, resisting the urge to try to calm him.

"I need direct sunlight or moonlight to cast a spell of this magnitude, and tonight's the dark of the moon. Our only chance to save Hiccup is the sun."

"Wait, wait, wait, you're gonna do _magic_?" Snotlout asked as we burst through the doors to the hold onto the deck.

"Yes, I have no choice. Hiccup has lost too much blood. He will die within the hour if I don't do something."

Astrid put Hiccup down in a patch of sunlight from the fading sun, forcing another blood-curdling scream from his throat as the movement aggravated his injury. I knelt by his side, and my shadow fell across his ripped and broken back as the others gathered around.

"No." I told them. "Move. You're too close."

They did as I said, moving away until the only shadow crossing Hiccup's body was mine.

I closed my eyes and quieted my mind, shoving away the fear and the doubt and all other emotions that clouded my consciousness. I focused on the energy coming from Hiccup's life force. It was fading, fast. I forced it into dormancy, knocking him out so he wouldn't have to feel this. I could hear every cell in his body relax as he slumped against the deck.

"What did you do?!" Astrid burst out. I ignored her. I reached deeper with my mind, finding the separate energy from every damaged particle of Hiccup, then raised my hands over him, focusing my own energy.

 _"Kalfa meyna mor'ranor du slytha en Hiccup, baeka eke du deda unin komme, komme, komme, takla du Hiccup, en maek ai baeka wholl. Waise heill. Waise heill. Waise heill."_

I went on for I don't even know how long, directing the energy of both our life-forces with my words, fixing the shaved-off bone of his spine, knitting together the mutilated flesh, and replacing destroyed skin with new. Some might call it spontaneous generation, but I was only speeding up Hiccup's natural healing process...or, rather, what might have been his natural healing process if he wasn't already practically dead. I was left terribly weakened because, in my rush to save Hiccup, I was using my own life-force energy to fix him. If I hadn't been working in the sunlight, I probably would have completely drained myself.

When I finally opened my eyes and lowered my shaking hands to my lap, it was pretty much dark.

"It is finished." I stated wearily.

Astrid darted forward and cautiously ran a finger over his skin. "He's...okay now?"

I nodded. "He's okay. Thank you all for keeping quiet. I could have made a mistake in the wording and messed something up, but...he'll be fine."

"You're welcome," Fishlegs said politely, and Snotlout and the twins nodded, staring at me in awe. The dragons stared, and Toothless came over and cautiously sniffed at Hiccup before rubbing his head against me, purring in thanks.

I chuckled softly and rubbed his nose. "Hey, Night Fury. You're not losing Hiccup so easily," I murmured. "We should probably go," I said, louder. "We don't know how long this ship will hold up from the attack we launched earlier."

An eerie creaking noise backed me up.

"Okay, let's go." Astrid gave Toothless a look. "Hey, Toothless, remember when Hiccup taught me to fly you?"

Toothless gave a look and a snort that clearly said, " _Yes, and you sucked."_

Astrid winced. "Yeah, sorry, but we're gonna have to do that again. I'll take Hiccup and Toothless. Terra, you can ride Stormfly. But just for the ride back."

I nodded and staggered over to the Deadly Nadder while the others mounted up and Astrid carried Hiccup, who was still unconscious, over to Toothless and got ready to go.

"Hello, Stormfly." I told the dragon, rubbing her jaw. "Astrid's got to ride with Toothless for now. Can I take you back to the Edge?"

Stormfly gave Astrid a worried look before pushing against my hand and turning a bit, showing me the saddle. I smiled.

"Thank you."

* * *

We all sat and watched Hiccup, lying as if in a coma in the emergency bed we'd set up in the Clubhouse. Astrid wouldn't stop pacing. Fishlegs was frantically scribbling something in a notebook. Snotlout and the twins argued quietly in a corner. I got the feeling that there really wasn't a disagreement, they were just doing so to pass the time. Toothless was curled up at the foot of the bed, watching Hiccup with worried eyes. The other dragons had been put in the stables for the night. I sat in a chair in the shadows, leaning back against the wall in exhaustion, but unable to sleep from worry.

Of course Hiccup would still be unconscious, his body had to adjust to the sudden changes of being ripped apart and then put back together in such a short amount of time, but it was worrisome nonetheless. Astrid had fetched him a new shirt from his hut, which was hung on the chair next to the bed. I watched the steady rise and fall of his chest and cursed myself in my head again.

 _Why, oh, why, did I have to fall for him?_

He was amazing, it was true, but I could appreciate that even as a friend. If only I hadn't been cursed...but no. If I hadn't been cursed, Hiccup would be dead.

We all turned to the bed as one when we heard Hiccup moan and stir. Astrid was by his side in a second, hovering over him and brushing his hair out of his eyes. A small tug of jealousy pulled in my gut, but I ignored it.

"Hiccup?" Astrid asked quietly. "Hiccup, can you hear me?"

His eyelids fluttered, the pulled open, revealing his gorgeous green eyes.

"A-Astrid?"

"Oh thank Thor!" She pulled him against her in a quick hug, then just as quickly let go and supported him as he slowly sat up. The others crowded around, greeting him all in their own way.

"When did you guys get there?" Hiccup mumbled, glancing around at his friends gathered around his bed. Toothless jumped up and smothered him with dragon kisses, making him groan and laugh.

"Good to see you, too, Toothless."

"Hiccup, how much do you remember?" Fishlegs asked him. We all listened intently for his answer. He shook his head and said quietly, "I remember everything up to when the captain guy knocked me unconscious after the..." He trailed off.

"The keelhauling?" Astrid asked gently. Hiccup nodded.

"So...what happened? It's like they never did it." Hiccup reached for the shirt and pulled it on, shrugging Astrid off.

"Terra saved you." Astrid gestured to where I sat in the corner, still leaning against the wall. I smiled at him, ignoring the way his eyes, boring into mine, made my stomach flutter.

"I'd get up, but I'm completely drained." I told him. "Healing spells of that magnitude are dangerous for both people involved."

Hiccup nodded, still staring at me. "Thank you."

I shrugged. "It's in the job description. Helping out. Now, if you'll all excuse me, I'm exhausted and I want to go to bed. Goodnight, all."

I got up and left, feeling them watching me as I went back to my hut. As I fell asleep, I wished, not for the first time, for Winter. I wanted his arms around me once again, and I remembered how he had once sworn to me that he would protect me from the world.

* * *

 **A/N Cut! That's a wrap. *nods approvingly***

 **Excellent work, Terra!**

 **Until next time, my lovely readers!**


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